Nanotechnology is an emerging field that uses the principles of science and engineering to fabricate materials or structures of dimensions in the nanometer scale. The nanoscale materials can display unusual and unique property profiles as compared to macromaterials. Physical, chemical and biological properties such as unique shape, orientation, surface chemistry, topology and reactivity exhibited by these materials originate from their small dimensions. These material properties can translate into unusual electrical, optical, magnetic, mechanical, thermal and biological properties for these materials.
Some nanostructures or nanoscale materials currently under investigation include quantum dots and wires, nanoscale self-assemblies and thin films, nanocrystals, nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods, nanofoams, nanospheres and nanofibers. Among these nanostructures, nanofibers form one of the most extensively investigated areas. The word nanofiber refers to fibrous structures usually made of carbon, organic polymers or organometallic polymers with diameter less than one micrometer. Nanofibers can be fabricated using various processing techniques such as drawing, self assembly, template synthesis, phase separation, dry spinning, and electrospinning.
Currently medical device catheters, and other types of medical devices where a smaller size is preferred, have a need to further reduce size and mass. This reduction in size and mass may allow for enhanced product performance leading to minimized patient trauma and recovery time. Attempts have been made to incorporate nanofibers into polymer matrices for the purpose of improving both the durability and surface characteristics (e.g., abrasion resistance) of the polymer. However, traditional nanofibers typically need to be surface treated with additional compounds in order to prevent their conglomeration during the electrospinning process and/or processed with or mixed into the base polymer material. A suitable solution to this problem is desired.